Glossary

14K Gold Filled-

This kind of jewelry can be either 10K, 12K, or 14K. This term is a bit of a misnomer in that the metal is not filled with gold, rather it is gold, filled with something else. The solid gold is fused to a supporting metal alloy and will not rub off. This is unlike plating in that the gold is 1/20th of the total metal weight, whereas plating contains less gold. This technique is durable and affordable, and many of our pieces and chains are made this way.

14K Gold Plated-

The material involved in gold plating is usually brass or bronze, with a 0.5-2.5 micron layer of gold around it. Pieces made in this manner will last for quite some time without the underlying metal tarnishing through.

14K Gold Vermeil-

Pronounced ‘ver-may,’ this material consists of sterling silver plated with at least 2.5 microns of gold. This is an extremely durable form of plating and will last indefinitely with proper care.

14K Rose Gold Vermeil-

Rose gold vermeil is just rose gold plated over silver. The following is just a description just of what rose gold really is:

Gold jewelry is usually comprised of an alloy of gold, silver, and copper, since pure gold is usually too soft a metal to be used alone in jewelry. The color of rose gold is created by mixing the proportion of these three metals in such a way as to increase the amount of copper and decrease the amount of silver to achieve the ‘rose’ colored look.

Sterling Silver-

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver with 92.5% pure silver and the rest composed of other metals to give it strength, such as copper. The tiny ’925′ stamp seen on the back of some jewelry confirms the use of sterling silver in its fabrication.

Gunmetal-

Black rhodium plated over sterling silver or other base metals is what gives a piece this shiny black look.